If you’re on any of the pay to play (P2P) sites you know that submitting a proposal with your audition is part of the process.
I have a few generic proposals that I work from. Using them as my structure, I personalize them based on all the information that client provides in the project details.
Here are 6 things to consider while writing your next proposal.
1) Keep it short and to the point. If a client requests 50 auditions and receives 50 auditions that means they also have 50 proposals to read. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. Would you want to sift through 50 novels? Just stick to the facts.
2) Spell check. This should go without saying, but from my own experience as a Voice Seeker, it needs to be said. Please, for the love of bacon, spell check your proposals. Spelling mistakes mean you aren’t paying attention to details.
3) Personalize. Tell me which line grabs your attention: A) Thanks for considering my audition for your project. B) Thanks for considering my audition for your ABC Corporate Web Video. I hope you said “B.” Personalize your proposal based on the information the client provides. It shows them you’re paying attention to the details.
4) Read the audio notes. If the client specifically requests an MP3 file at 192kbps delivered by email, don’t fill your proposal with information such as, “I can give you WAV or AIFF files and I can upload them to my secure FTP.” You just failed the audition.
5) Read their direction. Do they want a hard sell? A conversational tone? Take a look at the requested voice. Is it a Young Adult Male/Female or Middle Aged Male/Female? Nine of out ten times the client will tell you the kind of read they want. This saves you from guess work. It also saves you from submitting a completely inappropriate audition.
6) Pronounce their name right. If you’re submitting an audition for a company and you’re unsure of how to pronounce the name, please, look it up! Go to YouTube. Find a video that will give you the correct pronunciation. I can almost guarantee that if you pronounce the company name wrong in your audition you won’t get the job.
Good luck with your next proposal and audition. I hope you nail it!
Got any tips you’d like to add? Share them in the comments below.
